Pete Zahut

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Posts by Pete Zahut

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  107

  Brother who works on JW Broadcasting gave a 20 minute talk, said something big is coming next month.

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  via /r/exjw.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc7vhu8l88k.

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  Pete Zahut

  I guessing it's some kind of JW only internet service where they control the information provided (think North Korea).
  
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  25

  Do we have consensus that Mr Jackson was wearing a gold Apple Watch?

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i mean, we have discussed mr morris' "rolex" but many also pointed out to the potential for a knock-out.

  i don't think there are apple watch knock outs out there, are they?

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  Pete Zahut

  

  Barrold Bonds 7 hours ago

  i think the correct question is "Who gives a flying fuck?"

  
  Who?? I'd say anyone who has spent their life following the mandate to keep your eye simple and avoiding a showy display of ones means of life. There are those I know who lived rather austere lives living in trailers, taking only part time jobs pioneering instead of going on vacation etc. These GB members tend to show up wearing expensive suits, pinkie rings and watches while they are living off the donations made by others and are requesting even more $$ from them these days. They are very much like the Televangelists we've all seen and it would make one wonder what's going on.

  (P.S....nice language...very classy)
  
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  46

  JWs nearly killed my mother

  by cookiemaster in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  the past week has been hell for me.

  my mother started feeling ill and we went to seek medical assistance.

  we live in the mountains and the nearest large hospital is about 150 kms away.

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  Pete Zahut

  Glad your Mom is OK

  The following is a post that I copied and saved. I'm not sure now who posted it but it was very helpful. You may want to share the information with your mother if she starts second guessing her decision or feeling guilty about it.
  

  When I was still an active JW and beginnning to have doubts I did some thorough research on blood using only the NWT bible and Watchtower publications. My first clue to a possible problem came from the old blood booklet. I used the Concordance to consider the context of every reference to blood in the bible and finally wrote up my conclusions.
  
  I then discussed it with a fellow elder who resigned and then faded and has not attended a meeting since.
  
  I have referred to it a few times in other threads but I want to give it its own thread for my own reference. Long after I left the borg I discovered that others had came to the same conclusions for the same reasons but at the time I wrote this in 1995 I was unaware of this. I hope it is useful.
  
  Jehovah’s Witnesses view blood as being “precious” at all times and in every circumstance.
  
  An object may be precious for one or both of two reasons. It may have intrinsic value, or it may have value conferred on it by its owner. A gold wedding ring has both kinds of value. It has intrinsic value because of what it is made of but it also has an even greater value to its owner because of what it represents.
  
  JW’s treat blood as if it is intrinsically valuable; it is this assumption that is their fundamental mistake.
  
  In Genesis 6 when god gives permission for humans to kill animals for food. God tells Noah that he is to pour out the blood of the animal on the ground.
  A common sense approach to this story would put “life” at the centre of the narrative. God is not primarily telling Noah something about blood but about the value of life. All life belongs to him and he is to be acknowledged as the source of life when an animal is killed for food. In pouring out an animal’s life on the ground, the worshipper symbolically returns the life to god.
  
  The conclusive evidence that god is speaking here about the symbolic value of blood and not any intrinsic value is found in the law given through Moses. In Leviticus 17 god repeats his earlier instruction to Noah to pour out the blood of a creature hunted for food.
  
  10 " Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood. 13 'Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, "You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off."
  
  These verses are often quoted by the Watchtower to support their position on blood. However the very next verse is never mentioned.
  
  15 'Anyone, whether native-born or alien, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will be held responsible.'
  
  Notice that if somebody kills an animal for food and fails to return its life to god by pouring out its blood they are condemned under the law to be “ cut off from his people ” which most commentators take to refer to capital punishment. But, if an animal is killed by another animal the person who eats it has no guilt. He is “ceremonially unclean” until he bathes and changes his clothes. Remember that an animal that is already dead cannot be bled.
  
  The Watchtower commented on this verse back in 1983 (15/4 p31) and tried to explain it away as “accidental or inadvertent” eating of unbled meat. This just cannot be sustained from any sensible reading of the context.
  
  Exactly the same point about eating an animal “already dead” appears a few chapters earlier in Leviticus 11 in the context of clean and unclean animals.
  
  39 If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean till evening. 40Anyone who eats some of the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.
  
  So here is the dilemma facing an Israelite on finding one of his sheep dead in the field. Firstly it is physically impossible to bleed it. If he digs a pit and buries it he is unclean until the morning for touching a dead body. If he decides not to waste it and cooks it for the family they are all unclean until the morning. Either way nobody gets “cut off”.
  
  So what’s the difference? If he had killed the sheep himself and ate it unbled he would be guilty of taking a life and not respecting the giver of life by returning it to god through the pouring out of its blood. But, if another animal takes the life of the sheep or if it falls over and breaks its neck or dies of illness there is no guilt. No life was taken, and so no life can be returned to god. The blood of the animal “already dead” has no value and can be eaten with impunity.
  
  It is clear by a comparison of these verses that the value of blood is not intrinsic but symbolic. Value is conferred on it by god who accepts it as representing a life that has been taken.
  
  It is interesting to look at this from a different perspective for a moment. The Law clearly stated that blood had sacrificial value.
  
  For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. – Lev.17:11
  
  So what if an Israelite bled his bull without killing it? He could remove a pint or two at a time and bring gallons of it to the altar. It is obvious that such a sacrifice would have no value at all for one simple reason – NOTHING WAS KILLED! The blood only represents the value of life when that life is taken and at no other time.
  
  In the case of blood transfusions the blood that has been donated was not collected at the cost of the donor’s life and therefore has no more religious significance than the blood of an animal already dead which could be consumed without penalty.
  
  Under the Law given through Moses there was a long list of things that resulted in the worshipper being viewed as ceremonially unclean. Various types of animals were declared unclean and therefore unsuitable for food. Everyday activities could also leave a person in an “unclean” condition. Sex, childbirth (especially if the child was female), touching a dead body and many more things resulted in uncleanness. This was not the same thing as committing a sin. The solution for an unclean condition was usually the requirement to bathe, change clothes and wait a specified period of time, most often “until the evening”.
  
  Eating unbled meat of an animal “already dead” is consistently presented as a matter of uncleanness in the Old Testament never as a cause of sin. On the other hand the Israelites were frequently admonished to avoid things that god viewed as unclean whenever practical.
  
  In the book of Deuteronomy Moses addresses the nation prior to their entry to the “promised land” and encourages them to keep the law. In chapter 14 he says,
  
  21 "Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.”
  
  If consuming the unbled meat of an animal “already dead” was a matter of sin it would be equally binding on all nations not just the Israelites. Remember the law concerning blood was first given to Noah. But here Moses tells the Israelite to keep themselves clean by not eating such meat but instead selling it to a foreigner, not because it would be sinful to eat it but because the nation of Israel “are a people holy to the LORD your God.” It is put in the same category as the odd-sounding rule, “Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk” which has led to the complicated domestic arrangements in the homes of many Jewish families.
  
  Those who served as priests in Israel were especially concerned with maintaining ceremonial cleanness; they were unable to carry out their job while considered unclean. The law contained additional rules directly only at the priesthood for this purpose. Leviticus 21 and 22 lists some of these extra restrictions including this verse in 22: 8,
  
  8 He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the LORD.
  
  So while the average Israelite could eat unbled meat of animal found dead, this provision was not open to priests, the sons of Aaron who were not even permitted to enter a building where there was a dead body. Centuries later in the bible narrative the same restriction is repeated at Ezekiel 44:31
  
  31 The priests must not eat anything, bird or animal, found dead or torn by wild animals.
  
  Ezekiel was himself the son of a priest and he declared,
  
  14 Then I said, "Not so, Sovereign LORD! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth." (Ezek 4:14)
  
  From this brief summary of Old Testament law two simple facts are inescapable.
  
  1] When an animal was killed for food its blood was sacred and must be poured out on the ground. The rationale for this is the symbolic value of the blood in representing the life that has been taken
  
  2] If an animal was found “already dead” its unbled flesh could be eaten with impunity; this resulted only in temporary uncleanness.
  
  Only by properly understanding this Old Testament background of the laws concerning blood can the key text at Acts 15 in the New Testament and its significance for Christians be properly understood.
  
  A fact often overlooked by modern Christians is that they’re religion began as a Jewish sect. The burning issue in the early church, that almost divided it in its infancy, was whether gentile believers could be acceptable without complying with the full requirements of the law.
  
  In Galatians 2 Paul recounts how tension between Jewish and gentile believers led him to go up to the apostles in Jerusalem to settle the matter. In Acts 15 we appear to have a historical account of what Paul is referring to in this letter. A summit meeting is held involving a large number of believers including some of the elders and apostles as well as Paul and Barnabus.
  
  Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses." Acts 15:2
  
  So here is the problem; it is offensive to Jewish Christians that some of their brothers are ignoring the basic requirements of the law including circumcision. This did not just have theological implications; it was an obstacle to the unity and fellowship of the early church. A Jewish Christian could not, in good conscience, have fellowship with an uncircumcised person.
  The solution that was finally adopted was a stroke of genius.
  
  It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. Acts 15:28,29
  
  So where did the meeting come up with this particular set of requirements for gentile believers? Why no injunction against murder? What about theft, drunkenness and lying? This verse is not a new set of commandments for Christians; it is a restatement of those things that had always been required to maintain fellowship between Jews and gentiles.
  
  The question of how Jews and gentiles could live together peacefully and what was required of non-Jewish residents in Israel was already established in the Law. In Leviticus 17 and 18 these very same prohibitions which could neatly be summarized as idolatry, blood and fornication, are set out as being those things that a foreigner must adhere to while living amongst the Israelites. They were not required to be circumcised, and to stipulate they were to abstain from murder or theft would have been to state the obvious. The crimes that a foreigner were likely to commit, perhaps without even understanding their offensiveness to their Jewish hosts, were these three things, idolatry, fornication and eating blood.
  
  The words of James who proposed the content of the letter sent out to the congregations leaves us in no doubt about the reason for its contents.
  
  "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." Acts 15:19-21
  
  How can there be any room for doubt that these things are not about fundamental laws but about how to maintain unity under the specific circumstances of the early congregation?
  
  Finally, the letter requires Christians “abstain from food sacrificed to idols” but in 1Cor 8 Paul explains clearly that a brother who eats food sacrificed to idols commits no sin but does risk stumbling his brother. The language Paul uses there is identical to the wording of the Acts 15 letter.
  
  There are lots of other great articles about blood and the hypocrisy of recent laws on fractions. My only concern in researching the above was the biblical context. For that reason it may be useful to questioning JWs. See JWFacts.com for more information.
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  18

  Jehovah’s Witnesses face child sexual-abuse investigation in Australia - Washington Post article

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  of the religious and nonreligious groups being investigated, the jehovahs witnesses are exceptional, experts say.. in a converted office in downtown sydney, the organizations doctrines and practices are being parsed by lawyers, victims and journalists, providing rare insight into one of the christian worlds most conservative churches.. .

  the church, which was founded in pennsylvania during the 1870s to promote a 1st-century interpretation of the bible, has emerged as the least able or willing to deal with sexual abuse within its ranks, said anne cossins, an associate law professor at the university of new south wales and an expert in sex crimes who is a consultant for the inquiry.. .

  i find their approach to the issue and victims extraordinarily bizarre almost medieval, she said in an interview.. .

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  Pete Zahut

  The church, which was founded in Pennsylvania during the 1870s to promote a 1st-century interpretation of the Bible, has emerged as the least able or willing to deal with sexual abuse within its ranks, said Anne Cossins,

  

  Splash

  She will be quoted in an Awake next year.

  "According to Anne Cossins, a law professor, expert and consultant, '[Jehovah's Witnesses] have emerged as [...] able, [...] willing to deal with sexual abuse within it's ranks'."

  Or.....According to Anne Cossins, a law professor, expert and consultant, '[Jehovah's Witnesses] have emerged as the religion having the least sexual abuse within it's ranks.

  
  
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  40

  I am traveling long way to meet stephen lett in sacramento would you like me to lgive message to him

  by poopie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this weekend

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  Pete Zahut

  If you guys end up doing lunch, it might be good to move his water glass and utensils toward the center of the table before you ask him any questions. (He tends to gesture wildly)

  Oh....and be sure to insist on separate checks.
  
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  16

  So there was a fish swimming along...

  by Zoos in

  1. social
  2. humour

  ... and it bumped into a concrete wall.

  you know what he said?.

  "dam!

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  Pete Zahut

  A Grasshopper walks into a bar and the Bartender exclaims,

  "Hey Grasshopper....did you know we have a drink named after you ??"

  With a puzzled look on his face the Grasshopper asks, " Why would anyone name a drink, Larry ?? "
  
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  14

  I Rolled My Eyes When...

  by Iown Mylife in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  today as i had the old timey music playing and the song love potion no.

  9 came on, i remembered being reproved by a brother at a get together when i sang along to that same song.

  oh that song is spiritistic, blah blah.

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  Pete Zahut

  I got chastised by an Elder for singing "Me and Mrs. Jones" at Karaoke night at someones house. I explained that "Mrs. Jones" was actually "code" for "Mrs. Zahut..... I was actually singing about meeting my own wife for a pretend clandestine meeting...it's a little joke we have.
  

  He didn't buy it....so what ? Sue me.
  
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  8

  "This old system of things"

  by JWdaughter in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  do jws besides my mom even say that anymore?

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  Pete Zahut

  My wife and I have a running joke whenever we attend a family gathering where we guess how many seconds it will take for her uncle ( in his late 70's) to say "Boy....we sure do need the New System don't we ??? It just can't be much longer now ! "

  All you have to do is say "Hi Joe...how's it goin'? Within seconds he starts in on this wicked old system of things and how terrible things are getting and how it's just gotta' be coming to an end soon. I've known him 25 years and he's been saying that the whole time. He was saying that since 1957 when he became a regular pioneer, since he got married, since he raised his 5 kids and 9 grandchildren have grown up and is now about to become a great grandfather. A nice man but he is so miserable while he waits for Xanadu to arrive.
  
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  21

  OK folks the End is near. Sodom and Gomorrah.

  by James Mixon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the reality show "dating naked".

  so the young lady said to the guy when they.

  first met, wow must you look straight at my you know what.. are they running out of ideas for reality shows????.

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  Pete Zahut

  No man in my opinion has the right to call any woman ugly,

  Did someone say something about naked women being ugly?

  not when their running around with that sticking out the front of them. At least us girls know the creator has a sense of humor.

  It must suck for any husband whose wife's views him that way. Imagine how it would effect a womans sex life or self esteem if her husband thought she or women in general looked as if they had taken a hatchet to the groin or some other unpleasant view of their body?
  
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  20

  Im feeling depressed

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  well its been a while since i've posted on here but i guess i just need someone to talk to.

  i've recently turned 16 and i guess life is just starting to hit me like a ton of bricks.

  i'm still not sure what i want to do with my life.

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  Pete Zahut

  Hello Sweetheart.....sorry you're feeling badly these days.....glad you told us about it.

  I raised Boys and believe it or not, they often deal with much the same feelings as you describe however their reaction to these feelings and willingness to vocalize them is wherein the difference lies.

  You sound like a bright articulate young lady and I'm guessing your already know that if, as you say, you are feeling depressed, it is difficult to come up with any positive thoughts about your future. Depression or even just a low mood, can make one feel as if they are climbing Mt. Everest carrying a suitcase in one hand and a watermelon in the other. Even if one is able to come up with an idea or two, depression or even just a low mood, can rob you of the energy you need to move forward.
  

  The good news is that depression can lift as quickly as it came upon you especially if one is not tempted to wait until they feel better, to move forward...even just a little bit. It's often best to go ahead and do what you'd like to be doing, if only only weren't feeling so badly....even if you have to fake it. Sometimes just a brisk walk in the outdoors can be enough to sort of snap you out of that "stuck" feeling.

  Anyone who has been your age and has slugged their way through the feelings and situations you described in your post, knows how unpleasant it feels and they also realize that they learned many valuable skills for having gone through it. They also know that it is absolutely possible to come through it with flying colors and to even be grateful for having experienced it. When you think of it, many beautiful works of art, amazing songs and books were born from someone's emotional suffering. Humans are capable of a full range of emotions and to be a fully developed person, one has to experience all of them....even the unpleasant ones.
  

  The thing to remember is that your life is not an emergency. You are 16 and you must trust that like the rest of us, you'll make your way through your life doing the best you can, but you'll do this on a day to day basis, little by little gaining the skills and experience that will make things easier to deal with. Also, don't you think life would be a little boring if we had all the answers we need, immediately? Part of what makes life interesting is not knowing. Get comfortable with the unknown and not always having the answers. Some of the most interesting 40+ year olds I've met are the ones who don't know what they want to be when they grow up, are searching and are enjoying the process.
  

  When you are feeling overly anxious it could be because you are looking too far ahead into the future to things that may never happen and to things that are impossible to resolve now. You may do better to reel your thoughts in so that you are thinking only a few days ahead and the baby steps you can take each day.

  When you are feeling angry or sad, it could be because you are looking at the past and at things that have already happened and are over and done with. We feel our best when we live in the moment and are totally engrossed in what is happening right now and we are taking steps, no matter how small, toward the place or situation we'd like to eventually find ourselves in.
  

  It's nice to hear that you love your parents and are interested in art and have talent. This is a good foundation from which to build...many would love to be able to say as much. I'm glad you have an outlet here regarding the JW issue but for now, try to see the value in it even if it's only the lesson you are learning in being patient and in sticking with things that you'd rather not do. That is a skill that will make your life a lot easier.